Google Search will offer state-by-state guide to voter registration

After months upon months of political ads, debates, and news stories flying at us from every direction, the general election will finally be decided later this year. Yet, living through nearly two years of endless political commentary and talking heads analyzing nearly every word each candidate has ever said will all be for nothing if you aren't registered to vote when time comes in November. Google has announced today that it's going to try to make the process of registering to vote at least a little easier for those who want their voices to be heard.

After all, knowing what it takes to register to vote can be tricky. The same is true for finding the specific process and deadline to register for your particular state. Google will attempt to help with that, saying that whenever someone searches "register to vote," or something similar, the search results they see will not only share the general requirements to be eligible to register, but will also offer users a guide on how to register in their state.

That guide will also include state-by-state deadlines, so there will be little excuse for not being registered when the general election rolls around. Google isn't changing Search to just offer up information on getting registered to vote, as it's also being updated to deliver comprehensive coverage of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, which are taking place later this month. When users search for those events, they'll be given summaries of each that include who the nominees are and who will be speaking at the conventions, along with relevant social media posts and YouTube videos.

This sounds like a good initiative on the part of Google, because the voter registration process in America isn't always crystal clear and easy to follow. Hopefully this helps a sizable number of folks registered in time for the general election in November, though whether or not those citizens actually put that registration to use and go out to vote is another issue entirely. These features will be rolling out on Monday, with convention-specific results launching as the RNC and DNC take place.